Wednesday, 2 January 2013

‘He who tends to the sick tends to me’ – The Buddha

Concept of healing in Buddhism

By
Manjari Peiris Sunday, 30 December 2012 00:00

The Buddha said that it is the responsibility and duty of the community to look after the sick

‘He who tends to the sick tends to me’ – The Buddha
The Buddha encouraged his
disciples to look after the sick. The Blessed One made this famous
statement “He who attends the sick attends me,” when he discovered a
desperately ill monk with an acute attack of dysentery, lying in his
grubby robes. On this occasion the Buddha with the help of Ananda Thera
washed and cleaned the sick monk with warm water. He said that it is the
responsibility and duty of the community to look after the sick.

On
many instances the Buddha tended to severely sick people and setting an
example. Once when a monk was discovered with sores all over his body
with pus oozing out from the sores, and abandoned by fellow monks, the
Buddha boiled water and washed the monk with his own hands and cleaned
and dried the robes. After listening to the Buddha’s sermon the monk
attained Arhanthood and soon passed away...